Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1,101-1,200 of 1,378 Results
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Laura Schaefer
Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and, by courtesy, of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly Interestsearly Earth atmosphere; planetary differentiation; rocky exoplanet atmospheric chemistry; planetary interiors; atmosphere-interior exchange on Earth-like planets; planetary habitability; Venus atmospheric evolution; volcanic gases on Io and volatile loss
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Celine Scheidt
Senior Research Engineer, Energy Science & Engineering
BioCéline Scheidt has worked extensively in uncertainty modeling, sensitivity analysis, geostatistics and in the use of distance-based methods in reservoir modeling. She obtained her PhD at Strasbourg University and the IFP (France) in applied mathematics, with a focus on the use of experimental design and geostatistical methods to model response surfaces.
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Allegra Hosford Scheirer
Physical Science Research Scientist, Earth & Planetary Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
Allegra Hosford Scheirer is a research geophysicist at Stanford University, specializing in basin and petroleum system modeling. Her work is centered on the strong belief in the integration of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data in a unified working environment.
Teaching
She co-teaches courses and co-advises several graduate students with a focus on basin and petroleum system modeling and investigative methods for exploring conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons.
Professional Activities
Prior to joining Stanford, Allegra was a member of the Geophysical Unit of Menlo Park and the Energy Resources Program at the U.S. Geological Survey, where she constructed three-dimensional geologic models for use in the resource assessment process. Allegra has led and participated in numerous field programs at sea and in the United States. She is the editor of U.S.G.S. Professional Paper 1713 and a past Associate Editor of Journal of Geophysical Research. -
Eva L. Scheller
Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
BioProf. Scheller leads the Planetary Chemistry and Spectroscopy group. Her research focuses on working with and developing instrumentation (spectroscopy and stable isotope mass spectrometry) on spacecraft missions designed to study the chemistry of planetary surfaces and materials, combining laboratory spectroscopy experiments with spacecraft dataset analysis and instrument development. She has a keen interest in exploring limitations and detectability challenges in spacecraft instrumentation, such as refining mineral, volatile, and organic detection methods for spacecraft instrumentation. The main focus of her research is using these datasets and experiments in order to understand the global volatile cycles of planetary bodies and their effects on controlling the evolution of atmospheres, crusts, and habitability of planets.
Prof. Scheller is currently developing the Stanford Planetary Chemistry and Spectroscopy computational and experimental laboratory, which will focus on UV to longwave infrared spectroscopy at ambient and ultrahigh vacuum, cryogenic conditions as well as AI methodologies applied to the analysis of spectral datasets. -
Kai Schoettler
Research Assistant, Contingent
Staff, Earth & Planetary SciencesBioGraduate from the University of Oregon in 2024 with a focus in paleontology, currently working in the Jonathan Payne paleobiology lab. Pursuing a career in research and conservation paleoecology to apply lessons from the past to protect the future. Number 1 fan of extinct deer-like organisms from 15 million years ago.
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Bria Sabine Schraeder
Product Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioBria Schraeder is a Product Manager for the Understand Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy. In this role, she supports the development and management of educational content across various platforms, including the Understand Energy class, workshop series, Learning Hub, staff seminar, and newsletter. She also works on marketing and outreach efforts to expand the program's reach and impact.
In her free time, Bria enjoys recipe testing, watercolor painting, and long hikes and cycling. -
Dustin Schroeder
Professor of Geophysics, of Electrical Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioDustin Schroeder is a Professor of Geophysics and of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where he is also affiliated with Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, and Institute for Human-Centered AI. His research primarily focuses on observing and understanding the role of continental ice sheets and their contribution to the rate of sea level rise. A growing secondary focus of his work is the subsurface exploration of icy worlds. He also works on the development, use, and analysis of geophysical radar systems optimized to observe hypothesis-specific phenomena. His research group aspires to approach problems from both an earth system science and radar system engineering perspective.
He serves on the Science Team for the REASON radar instrument on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and previously co-chaired the mission’s Interior Working Group. At Stanford, he serves as Associate Chair of Geophysics, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education in Electrical Engineering, and Faculty Director for COLLEGE 102: Citizenship in the 21st Century, part of Stanford’s Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) first-year core curriculum. He also serves as Chair of the Stanford Faculty Senate. Beyond the university, he serves as Vice President of the International Glaciological Society and has served for more than two decades with the National Science Olympiad, where he chairs the national Earth and Space Sciences committee.
He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, a Senior Member of IEEE, and recipient of the AGU James B. Macelwane Medal and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. His contributions to education have been recognized through teaching awards in Stanford’s School of Engineering and Doerr School of Sustainability, his selection as a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, and national recognition for leadership in undergraduate and K–12 science education.
Prior to joining Stanford, he was a Radar Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. He received his PhD in Geophysics from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Physics from Bucknell University. Between his undergraduate and graduate studies, he worked as a Platform Hardware Engineer at Freescale Semiconductor. -
Brady Seals
Director, Electrification for Health, Human and Planetary Health
Current Role at StanfordDirector, Electrification for Health
Center for Human and Planetary Health
Woods Institute for the Environment
Doerr School of Sustainability -
Krish Seetah
Associate Professor of Environmental Social Sciences, of Oceans, of Anthropology and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioI am a zooarchaeologist, whose focus is primarily on colonisation and colonialism. My zooarchaeological research has used butchery analysis (with the benefit of professional and ethnographic actualistic experience) to investigate agency within the human-animal relationship. More recently, I have employed geometric morphometrics (GMM) as a mechanism for identifying and distinguishing animal populations. This approach to studying colonial activity centres on understanding how people manipulate animal bodies, both during life and after death.
Alongside the strictly faunal research is a research interest in technologies associated with animal processing. This has been used to investigate issues of technology, trade and socio-economic attitudes within colonial contexts in the Mediterranean (Venice & Montenegro) and the Baltic (Poland, Latvia & Lithuania).
I am also the Director of the ‘Mauritian Archaeology and Cultural Heritage’ (MACH) project, which studies European Imperialism and colonial activity. This project centres on the movement of peoples and material cultures, specifically within the contexts of slavery and Diaspora. The work of this project has focused on key sites in Mauritius and is based on a systematic programme of excavation and environmental sampling. The underlying aims are to better understand the transition from slavery to indentured labour following abolition, the extent and diversity of trade in the region and the environmental consequences of intense, monoculture, agriculture. -
Paul Segall
The Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Professor of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
I study active earthquake and volcanic process through data collection, inversion, and theoretical modeling. Using methods such as precise Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) we are able to measure deformation in space and time and invert these data for the geometry of faults and magma chambers, and spatiotemporal variations in fault slip-rate and magma chamber dilation. The accumulation of shear strain in tectonic regions provides a direct measure of earthquake potential. Similarly, magma accumulation in the crust prior to eruptions causes measurable inflation. We use these data to develop and test models of active plate boundaries such as the San Andreas, and the Cascade and Japanese subduction zones, the nucleation of earthquakes, slow slip events, induced seismicity, and the physics of magma migration leading to volcanic eruptions. These physics-based models rely on principles and methodologies from solid and fluid dynamics.
Teaching
I teach introductory undergraduate classes in natural hazards and the prediction of volcanic eruptions, as well as graduate level courses on modeling earthquake and volcano deformation and geophysical inverse theory.
Professional Activities
James B. Macelwane Medal, American Geophysical Union (1990); fellow, American Geophysical Union (1990); fellow, Geological Society of America (1997); president, Tectonophysics Section, AGU (2002-04); U.S.G.S. Science of Earthquakes Advisory Committee (2002-06); California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Committee (2003-07); chair, Plate Boundary Observatory Steering Committee (2003-06); N.S.F. Panel, Instruments and Facilities Program (1997-2000); associate editor, Journal of Geophysical Research (1984-87). William Smith Lecturer, Geological Society of London (2011). Charles A. Whitten Medal, American Geophysical Union (2014), National Academy of Sciences (2016) -
Alicia Seiger
Affiliate, Bank of America
Visiting Scholar, Precourt Institute for EnergyBioAlicia Seiger is a recognized expert at the intersections of climate, technology, policy, finance, and innovation. She is a Visiting Scholar at SDSS and an occasional lecturer. Alicia currently directs the climate program at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). Prior to CZI, Alicia led sustainability and energy finance initiatives at Stanford Law, Graduate School of Business, and the Doerr School for Sustainability. Alicia has served as an advisor to the Governors of California and New York, the New York State Comptroller, and numerous pension fund, endowment, and family office CIOs on the topics of climate risk, opportunity, and resiliency. For over two decades, Alicia has designed and executed climate and energy strategies for businesses, foundations, investors, and NGOs. She has led on the management teams of multiple startups, including at TerraPass, a pioneer of the US voluntary carbon offset market, and Flycast Communications, one of the world’s first web advertising networks. She co-founded Stanford Professionals in Energy (SPIE) and serves on the boards of Prime Coalition and The E-liability Institute and on the Editorial Board of the Oxford Open Climate Change Journal.
Her first book, "Settling Climate Accounts: Navigating the Road to Net Zero" contextualizes the history of climate action, examines the practices of pursuing net zero, and makes recommendations for the road ahead. Alicia received her BA from Duke University in a self-designed curriculum intersecting environmental science and policy with cultural anthropology, and earned her MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. -
Elizabeth Selig, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Center for Ocean Solutions, Center for Ocean Solutions
BioElizabeth Selig works at the intersection of environmental and social sustainability in marine ecosystems. Her current research focuses on understanding social-ecological feedbacks in ocean health, marine resource conflicts, and patterns in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and labor abuses in fisheries. Selig received her Ph.D. in ecology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Her dissertation focused on how global climate change may affect coral reef health and management strategies that can help mitigate coral loss. She has more than ten years of experience working with international non-governmental organizations including Conservation International, where she was the Senior Director of Marine Science. She has also worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the World Resources Institute.
Selig is part of the core team behind the Blue Food Assessment, an international scientific assessment of the contribution of aquatic foods to human nutrition and environmental impacts, with a focus on equity and environmental vulnerability of production. For the last several years, she has also been a part of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) science team. She was a lead author on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment and is part of the International Science Advisory Council for the Stockholm Resilience Centre. -
Debbie Senesky
Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, of Electrical Engineering, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Photon Science
BioDebbie G. Senesky is an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and the Electrical Engineering Department. In addition, she is the Principal Investigator of the EXtreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab). Her research interests include the development of nanomaterials for extreme harsh environments, high-temperature electronics for Venus exploration, and microgravity synthesis of nanomaterials. In the past, she has held positions at GE Sensing (formerly known as NovaSensor), GE Global Research Center, and Hewlett Packard. She received the B.S. degree (2001) in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. She received the M.S. degree (2004) and Ph.D. degree (2007) in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Senesky is the Site Director of nano@stanford. She is currently the co-editor of two technical journals: IEEE Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems and Sensors. In recognition of her research, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2025, Emerging Leader Abie Award from AnitaB.org in 2018, Early Faculty Career Award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2012, Gabilan Faculty Fellowship Award in 2012, and Sloan Ph.D. Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2004.
Prof. Senesky's career path and research has been featured by Scientific American, Seeker, People Behind the Science podcast, The Future of Everything radio show, Space.com, and NPR's Tell Me More program. More information about Prof. Senesky can be found at https://xlab.stanford.edu and on Instagram (@astrodebs). -
Ross Shachter
Associate Professor of Management Science and Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsProf. Shachter's research has focused on the representation, manipulation, and analysis of uncertainty and probabilistic reasoning in decision systems. As part of this work, he developed the DAVID influence diagram processing system for the Macintosh. He has developed models scheduling patients for cancer follow-up, and analyzing vaccination strategies for HIV and Helobacter pylori.
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He Shan
Postdoctoral Scholar, Energy Science and Engineering
BioHe Shan obtained a joint Ph.D. in Energy and Engineering Thermophysics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and National University of Singapore. His research focuses on functional soft materials and thermal engineering design for water-energy systems. Working with his supervisor, Prof. Ruzhu Wang, he studies atmospheric water harvesting systems that extract clean water from arid air. His work includes developing a thermodynamic framework for hygroscopic materials and proposing new cyclic operating principles for water harvesting systems. These advances have been translated into a spin-off company and demonstrated in real arid climates. He received his M.S. from Chongqing University and was awarded the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Star in 2023.
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Benjamin Shapero
Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, admitted Autumn 2020
BioI am a geomicrobiologist and am broadly interested in the connections between protein biochemistry, environmental microbiology, and biogeochemistry. I hail from the surf town of Encinitas near San Diego. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California (USC), where I majored in both Biological Sciences and Classical Saxophone Performance. At USC I volunteered in a cellular and molecular neuroscience lab, and it was there that I discovered my fascination with proteins. After graduation, I worked in a vaccine design lab at Scripps Research. This research fostered my growing fascination with protein biochemistry and further exposed me to the realm of microbiology. I have since followed my interests in proteins and microbiology, along with my longstanding passion for climate science, to the field of geomicrobiology. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in geomicrobiology at Stanford University in the Earth System Science department.
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Rohan Sharma
Ph.D. Student in Geophysics, admitted Autumn 2025
BioI’m a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geophysics. My research explores the applications of quantum computing and scientific machine learning to geophysical problems, with a focus on modeling, inversion, and uncertainty quantification.
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Kassandra Sharp
Senior Web Developer, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability - Dean's Office
Current Role at StanfordSenior Web Developer for Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Dean's Office, developing back end infrastructure for school, department, program, and research group web sites as well as special projects and other areas of interest.
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Zhi-Xun Shen
Paul Pigott Professor of Physical Sciences, Professor of Applied Physics, of Physics and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Shen's main research interest lies in the area of condensed matter and materials physics, as well as the applications of materials and devices. He develops photon based innovative instrumentation and advanced experimental techniques, ranging from angle-resolved photoemission to microwave imaging, soft x-ray scattering and time domain spectroscopy and scattering. He has created a body of literature that advanced our understanding of quantum materials, including superconductors, semiconductors, novel magnets, topological insulators, novel carbon and electron emitters. He is best known for his discoveries of the momentum structure of anisotropic d-wave pairing gap and anomalous normal state pseudogap in high temperature superconductors. He has further leveraged the advanced characterization tool to make better materials through thin film and interface engineering.
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Bill Sherrod
Hopkins Marine Station Associate Director, Hopkins Marine Station
BioBill is the Associate Director of Hopkins Marine Station where he is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of the station’s infrastructure and facility operations. He also guides government and community relations on its behalf.
Bill joined Stanford after serving as the principal of Trident Advisory Group, a consulting firm providing strategic guidance to technology startups, regional economic development organizations, and higher education institutions. An International Coaching Federation-educated coach, he also serves as a Fellow at Ordinary Hero Coaching. He also serves on the Monterey County Military and Veteran Affairs Commission and is a member of the Center for Ocean Leadership's Strategic Advisory Committee.
Previously, Bill served a 29-year career in the US Navy, where he led from the small unit to the enterprise-level in various roles of increasing responsibility in maritime, aviation, special operations, installation management, and higher education administration. His operational experience spans from blue water small craft operations to Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operations, and includes accumulating nearly 2,000 hours flying the SH-60B Seahawk multi-mission helicopter in support of operations ranging from humanitarian assistance to counter-terrorism activities. He held executive leadership roles managing a 42,000-acre multi-service Department of Defense installation. Bill's military career concluded at the Naval Postgraduate School, where he served as Chief of Staff. He established the Office of Strategic Initiatives, serving as its director, and developed the institution's strategic framework. He also served as the Director, President’s Action Group, the Deputy Director (Navy) of the Naval Warfare Studies Institute, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Aviation Activities, and the Air Warfare Chair. -
Aditi Sheshadri
Assistant Professor of Earth System Science and Center Fellow, by courtesy, at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioI am an assistant professor in Stanford's Earth System Science department. Prior to this, I was a Junior Fellow of the Simons Foundation in New York, and a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Department of Applied Physics and Applied Math and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. I got my Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science at MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, in the Program for Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate, where I worked with R. Alan Plumb. I’m broadly interested in atmosphere and ocean dynamics, climate variability, and general circulation.
I'm particularly interested in fundamental questions in atmospheric dynamics, which I address using a combination of theory, observations, and both idealized and comprehensive numerical experiments. Current areas of focus include the dynamics, variability, and change of the mid-latitude jets and storm tracks, the stratospheric polar vortex, and atmospheric gravity waves. -
Linda M. Dairiki Shortliffe
Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor in the School of Medicine, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe timing for intervention in obstruction in the infant and child is poorly understood.Our group has been interested in trying to define the risks that may be involved in obstructive and infectious uropathies and discovering early signs of damage to the urinary tract and kidney. We have explored ways of imaging the urinary tract using nonionizing radiation (US, MRI). We have studied the relationships of sex steroid hormones, pregnancy, reflux, urinary tract infection and urinary tract function.
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Robert Siegel
Professor (Teaching) of Microbiology and Immunology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy work is primarily involved in medical education and curricular development, especially in the areas of infectious disease, virology, HIV, and molecular biology. Projects included electronic applications to science education, three dimensional model building, service learning, and the development of undergraduate research projects.
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Nicholas Siemons
Research Engineer, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioNicholas began his academic career by studying integrated Masters at University College, London. During this time he published his first article, "Multiple exciton generation in nanostructures for advanced photovoltaic cells" - a review of how to produce photovoltaics with greater than 100% internal efficiencies. Following this Nicholas began research into solar voltaics and organic batteries in the group of Prof. Jenny Nelson at Imperial College, London. During this time Nicholas developed his keen interest in how to relate the chemical design of polymers to their ability to function as battery electrode materials. To achieve this goal, Nicholas applies atomistic simulation methods to such polymer systems, and relates the simulated findings to experimental results, bridging the gap between chemistry and device properties. As well as linking molecular chemical design to device performance, Nicholas applies novel simulation and analysis methodologies to study these systems, including Molecular Dynamics, Density Functional Theory, Molecular Metadynamics and Network Analysis.
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Jannis M. Simoes-Seymens
Program and Communications Coordinator, Ctr for Human and Planetary Health, Human and Planetary Health
Current Role at StanfordProgram and Communications Coordinator
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Alyson Singleton
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2021
BioAly is a PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment & Resources, investigating the impact of large-scale global change on infectious disease transmission and broader health dynamics. Based on the concepts of One Health and Planetary Health, she focuses on the design and evaluation of win-win solutions that can synergistically benefit human and environmental health. As we anticipate widening disease disparities under increasing climate and land-use change, her research aims to identify opportunities to prevent and mitigate these compounding harms. She approaches these topics by integrating novel computational methods, field-data collection, and epidemiologic techniques.
Prior to coming to Stanford, Aly was a Data Science Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she developed analytic tools for outbreak detection and triage of multiple pathogens and supported the CDC’s Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response. She also worked at the People, Place & Health Collective at the Brown University School of Public Health while earning her undergraduate (BS, Applied Mathematics) and master's degrees (MA, Biostatistics). -
Norman Sleep
Professor of Geophysics, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPhysics of large-scale processes in the Earth
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Olav Solgaard
Audrey S. Hancock Professor in the School of Engineering
BioThe Solgaard group focus on design and fabrication of nano-photonics and micro-optical systems. We combine photonic crystals, optical meta-materials, silicon photonics, and MEMS, to create efficient and reliable systems for communication, sensing, imaging, and optical manipulation.
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George Somero
David and Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Science, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe examine two aspects of organism-environment interactions: How does stress from physical (e.g., temperature) and chemical (oxygen levels, pH) factors perturb organisms and how do organisms respond, adaptively, to cope with this stress? We examine evolutionary adaptation and phenotypic acclimatization using a wide variety of marine animals, including Antarctic fishes and invertebrates from intertidal habitats on the coastlines of temperate and tropical seas.
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Suihong Song
Physical Science Research Scientist, Energy Science & Engineering
Postdoctoral Scholar, Energy Science and EngineeringBioSuihong Song collaborates with Professor Tapan Mukerji at the Stanford Center for Earth Resources Forecast (SCERF) as a postdoctoral scholar. His research is centered on integrating machine learning with geosciences, specifically focusing on machine learning-based reservoir characterization and geomodelling, Physics-informed Neural Networks (PINNs) and neural operators as well as their applications in porous flow simulations, neural networks-based surrogate and inversion, decision-making under uncertainty, and machine learning-based geological interpretation of well logs and seismic data. These research endeavors have practical applications in managing underground water resources, oil and gas exploration, geological storage of CO2, and the evaluation of hydrothermal and natural hydrogen, among others.Song proposed GANSim, an abbreviation for Generative Adversarial Networks-based reservoir simulation, which presents a reservoir geomodelling workflow. This innovative approach has been successfully implemented in various 3D field reservoirs by international oil companies, including ExxonMobil.
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Andrew Spakowitz
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, Professor of Chemical Engineering, of Materials Science and Engineering and, by courtesy, of Applied Physics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTheory and computation of biological processes and complex materials
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Erik Sperling
Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Oceans
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe research interests in the Sperling Lab are Earth history and the evolution of life, and the interactions between the biosphere and the geosphere. As such this research can generally be considered paleontology, insofar as paleontology encompasses all aspects of the history of life.
Consequently, we define our research agenda by the questions we are interested in, rather than the tools used. This research incorporates multiple lines of evidence, and multiple tools, to investigate questions in the history of life. These lines of evidence include fossil data, molecular phylogenetics, sedimentary geochemistry, and developmental and ecological data from modern organisms. Ultimately, the goal is to link environmental change with organismal and ecological response through the lens of physiology.
Our field research takes place all over the world--current areas include:
-NW Canada (Yukon and Northwest Territories): Research has been conducted on the early Neoproterozoic Fifteenmile Group, Cryogenian and Ediacaran Windermere Supergroup, and on the Ordovician-Devonian Road River Group in the southern Richardson Mountains
-Southern Canadian Cordillera: Work here has focused on the early Cambrian Mural Formation and its soft-bodied fauna.
-England and Wales: Cambrian-Silurian successions in the Welsh Basin
-Namibia: Ediacaran Nama Group
-Upwelling zones: We study the oxygen minimum zone offshore California as an analogue for ancient low-oxygen oceans. -
Adam Spitzig
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2024
Student Worker, Ethics In SocietyBioAdam Spitzig is a PhD candidate in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability. He is a historical ecologist and data scientist whose research examines long-term biodiversity dynamics and their human drivers.
His work integrates paleoecological data (especially fossil pollen records), archaeological and historical sources, geospatial analysis, and statistical modeling to understand when and how human societies have increased, maintained, or reduced biodiversity. He is particularly interested in identifying cases of sustained anthropogenic biodiversity expansion and examining the institutional, economic, infrastructural, and land-use processes that produced them. His work also explores how long-term ecological knowledge can inform contemporary conservation and restoration strategy.
Before beginning his PhD, he led ecological modeling and machine learning initiatives in conservation and technology organizations, including Ducks Unlimited and several data-driven startups.
He holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University, a Master of Information & Data Science from UC Berkeley, a Master of Environmental Management and a Juris Doctor from Duke University, and a BA from the University of Florida. -
Alfred M. Spormann
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of Chemical Engineering, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMetabolism of anaerobic microbes in diseases, bioenergy, and bioremediation
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Catherine Spurin
Postdoctoral Scholar, Energy Resources Engineering
BioI am a postdoctoral researcher in the Energy Science & Engineering department. My current research is focused on understanding how subsurface heterogeneity can be exploited to increase the amount of CO2 that is residually trapped. This increases storage security and minimizes the spread of the CO2 plume. This research makes up part of the GeoCquest consortium with Melbourne University, Cambridge University and CO2CRC. My supervisors are Prof. Hamdi Tchelepi and Prof. Sally Benson.
I obtained my PhD from Imperial College London in 2021. My PhD thesis "Intermittent flow pathways for multiphase flow in porous media: a pore-scale perspective" explored how flow phenomena not included in the framework of Darcy's law extended to multiphase flow influence the propagation and trapping of fluids. My supervisors were Prof. Sam Krevor and Prof. Martin Blunt. My research was funded by the President's PhD scholarship at Imperial. -
Griffin Srednick
Postdoctoral Scholar, Oceans
BioGriffin Srednick, PhD, is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stanford Oceans and a community ecologist specializing in the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine communities. His postdoctoral research investigates how coral reef communities recover from disturbance and respond to the effects of climate change. Conducted within the National Science Foundation's Moorea Coral Reef (MCR) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, his work examines how spatiotemporal heterogeneity in coral communities can promote ecological resilience. By integrating oceanographic modeling with coral reef ecology, his research aims to reveal the mechanisms underpinning coral recovery following disturbance. His broader scientific interests focus on understanding the complex architecture of ecosystems and how a holistic view of ecological systems can inform and enhance conservation and restoration strategies.
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Heath Stanfield
Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, admitted Autumn 2026
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSubsurface fluid-rock interactions for energy, resources, and carbon storage
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Jonathan Stebbins
Professor of Geological Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly Interestsstructure and dynamics of crystalline, glassy, and molten inorganic materials and how these relate to geologically and technologically important properties and processes; solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resoance (NMR); mineralogy; igneous petrology; glass science
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Rafael Stern
Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science
BioRafael Stern’s research focuses on the natural processes and mechanisms that regulate methane exchange between tropical forests and the atmosphere. He works with a network of eddy-covariance, ecological, and meteorological research stations across the Amazon rainforest, tropical Africa, and Asia.
Rafael earned his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, where he was advised by Professor Dan Yakir. His doctoral research used a mobile eddy-covariance system to compare the biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of different ecosystems and photovoltaic fields in drylands. He holds an M.Sc. in Climate and Environment from the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, where he was advised by Professor Paulo Artaxo and studied the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric particles during the Amazon forest-fire season. He also holds a B.Sc. in Geography from the Department of Geosciences at Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rafael was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. -
David K. Stevenson, M.D.
Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics and Professor, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research is focused on the study of the ontogeny and control of heme catabolism and bilirubin production in the developing neonate. A better understanding of the role of increased bilirubin production in neonatal jaundice and the prevention of hemolytic jaundice has remained an overall objective of our program. We are also study the causes of preterm birth and ways to prevent it.
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Joseph Dalton Stitt
Ph.D. Student in Geophysics, admitted Autumn 2021
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDeep learning with applications in CO2 Sequestration and DAS
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Robert Street
William Alden and Martha Campbell Professor in the School of Engineering, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsStreet focuses on numerical simulations related to geophysical fluid motions. His research considers the modeling of turbulence in fluid flows, which are often stratified, and includes numerical simulation of coastal upwelling, internal waves and sediment transport in coastal regions, flow in rivers, valley winds, and the planetary boundary layer.
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Jenny Suckale
Associate Professor of Geophysics and, Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioMy research group studies disasters to reduce the risk they pose. We approach this challenge by developing customized mathematical models that can be tested against observational data and are informed by community needs through a scientific co-production process. We intentionally work on extremes across different natural systems rather than focusing on one specific natural system to identify both commonalities in the physical processes driving extremes and in the best practices for mitigating risk at the community level. Our current research priorities include volcanic eruptions, ice-sheet instability, permafrost disintegration, induced seismicity and flood-risk mitigation. I was recently awarded the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers and the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.
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Hanif Sulaiman
Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, admitted Autumn 2022
BioI'm interested in the marine nitrogen cycle, particularly in nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas that plays a key role in stratospheric ozone destruction. I'm focused on delineating nitrous oxide's accumulation (production-consumption) pathways in various oceanographic regions.
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Joanna Sun
Assistant Director of Student Services, Energy Science & Engineering
Current Role at StanfordStudent Services, Department of Energy Science and Engineering
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Yudong Sun
Postdoctoral Scholar, Geophysics
BioYudong's study areas are earthquake physics, numerical modeling, InSAR, glaciology, and geodynamics. He specializes in numerical simulations of earthquake cycles and dynamic ruptures, integrating models with observations and laboratory experiments. He has published papers covering topics including back-propagating ruptures, slow slip events, fault roughness, deformation of glaciers, and lithospheres.
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Veda Sunkara
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2024
BioVeda Sunkara (she/her) is an E-IPER PhD student interested in studying disaster adaptation approaches and equity in outcomes for flood-prone communities in the face of increasing extremes due to climate change. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Floodbase (formerly Cloud to Street), where she built machine learning algorithms to create flood maps from remotely-sensed imagery, in-situ sensors, and physics-based models for disaster planning and parametric flood insurance. She seeks to combine her earth observation and machine learning expertise with community-centered research to co-develop the data necessary to enable long term adaptation and resilience to flooding. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Brown University.
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James Sweeney
Professor of Management Science & Engineering, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDeterminants of energy efficiency opportunities, barriers, and policy options. Emphasis on behavioral issues, including personal, corporate, or organizational. Behavior may be motivated by economic incentives, social, or cultural factors, or more generally, by a combination of these factors. Systems analysis questions of energy use.
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Joel Swisher
Adjunct Professor, Atmosphere and Energy Operations
BioJoel N. Swisher, PhD, PE, is Consulting Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, where he teaches graduate-level courses on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation (covering technical and business strategies to manage GHG risks) and electric utility planning methods (covering supply and demand-side resources, resource integration and expansion planning). His current research at Stanford addresses the integration of plug-in vehicles with the power grid and the barriers and synergies related to metering, tariffs, load management, customer incentives, and charging infrastructure.
Dr. Swisher is also an independent consultant with over 30 years experience in research and consulting on many aspects of clean energy technology. He is an expert in energy efficiency technology and policy, carbon offsets and climate change mitigation, and electric utility resource planning and economics. He has consulted with numerous utilities, manufacturers and technology companies on resource planning, energy efficiency, vehicle electrification and clean energy deployment strategies. He has also helped consumer-oriented firms design strategies to expand simple cost-saving energy investment programs into brand-building corporate sustainability campaigns.
Dr. Swisher is a thought leader in several areas of clean energy technology and business strategy. As Director of Technical Services and CTO for Camco International, Dr. Swisher helped develop carbon offset projects in reforestation, agriculture, renewable energy and building energy efficiency, and he has authored emission inventories, baseline studies and monitoring and verification plans for multilateral banks and private offset buyers. Starting in 1989, Dr. Swisher performed seminal research on carbon offset baselines and technical and economic analysis of carbon offsets in the energy and land-use sectors.
Dr. Swisher was managing director of research and consulting at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), where he led RMI’s consulting team in work for numerous high-profile clients, including electric utilities and producers of goods ranging from semiconductor chips to potato chips. At RMI, he created the concept of the Smart Garage, which explores the energy system synergies in which vehicle electrification helps enable zero-emission vehicles and a cleaner power grid. He led an RMI team that convened an industrial consortium (including Alcoa, Johnson Controls, Google, etc.) to develop a new, lightweight, plug-in hybrid vehicle platform for Class 2 truck fleet applications. Collaborating with the design firm IDEO to conduct interdisciplinary design workshops, the RMI team initiated a working design to attract funding and move toward production, which proceeded as a spin-off company, Bright Automotive in Indiana.
Dr. Swisher holds a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. He is a registered Professional Engineer and speaks five languages. He is author of over 100 professional publications including The New Business Climate: A Guide to Lower Carbon Emissions and Better Business Performance and a bilingual (English and Portuguese) textbook on energy efficiency program design and evaluation and integrated energy resource planning.
